The study is comprised of two parts. Part I examines whether stressful life events provoke seizures in patients suffering from complex-partial (psychomotor) seizures of probable temporal lobe origin. Possible differences in vulnerability to stress-precipitated seizures among these seizure patients subclassified by sex, age, duration of disorder, levels of chronic stress and availability of social supports will be explored. To specify and elaborate further the hypothesized association between stressful life events and seizure precipitation, data on alcohol abuse, sleep loss, and medication compliance, which may act as predisposing or intervening variables, will be included in the analysis. With the exception of chronic stress and social supports, data on independent and potentially predisposing and intervening variables and on seizure frequency are collected prospectively by means of patient diaries. Patient compliance with anticonvulsant drug regimens will be validated through assays of saliva and blood samples. In Part II, patients recruited from Part I, are given simultaneous electroencepholographic monitoring and structured questioning regarding life events. We will explore whether prompted recall of stressful experiences precipitates epileptiform EEG abnormalities or frank seizures in epileptic patients. We will also investigate whether groups of seizure patients, subclassified along several clinical and sociodemographic axes, evidence differential vulnerability to activation of epileptiform EEG abnormalities by means of life event recall. The study employs research instruments and concepts derived from psychosocial epidemiology as well as instrumentation from clinical neurology to investigate factors which may influence seizure frequency and management in chronic epileptic patients. The identification of seizure triggering mechanisms, should have important implimentations for improved seizure control and may advance our understanding of physiological mechanisms responsible for seizure propagation. Improved seizure mangement in patients suffering from complex-partial seizures is particularly important since this major group of epileptic patients is in general inadquately controlled with anticonvulsants.